


Beginning of a Twisted Fate

by TacitClowns



Category: Dishonored (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Just one murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 08:24:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/911020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TacitClowns/pseuds/TacitClowns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corvo meets Jessamine for the first time. Not as romantic as it could've been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beginning of a Twisted Fate

 

When Corvo first began stealing, it was a dare. A dare out of his own boredom, he snuk down into the kitchens of his father's estate and stole a small tart. The chef nearly cut of the boy's fingers, mistakening them for a hungry mouse. With a wounded, bleeding finger Corvo sat in his father's study, listening nonchalantly to his mother's scoldings and wincing at the force of his father's belt against his arms. Later on, in the bathroom, Corvo checked his bruises, thick rectangles of his flesh were swelled purple and blazing with pain. He checked his bandaged finger, noting the bleeding had stopped. Corvo only looked in the mirror and saw failure, not punishment, simply failure in his fault. 

I'll just have to do better. Corvo thought as he stuided his wounds. I just won't get caught next time. 

  
Corvo is now seventeen. He's dressed in light brown pants that tie at the ankles, a leather vest with a thin long sleeved shirt to cover his chest and a pale green scarf around his head to keep free from the heat. His face is just beginning to show signs of stubble, the small brown hair around his cheeks and chin matched the color of his thick lengthy hair on the top of his head hidden under the scarf. His sandals are the only sign to show he is of some higher class, stamped at the back with a golden insigna of his family's name, and ignored the people by the shops who dared haggle him for a price on his shoes.

The Attano boy was intent on going somewhere, with a bag of coins tied to one side of his hip, a lockpick tucked neatly to the side of his scarf and a blade hidden underneath his sleeve, strapped down with cords of leather and a small sheathe. Quickly, he walked past the small stores that dotted the area and skipped around a corner, heading up a familiar dark alleyway that hid those who stalked the outside world like prey, waiting to trap an unexpecting person with the hopes of spilling blood or simply for the coins in their hands.

"Attano." A voice made him turn to spot an all too familiar friend. Older by a few years, this man was hard faced, creased by years of pain and endurance, his hair set back so his forehead prominent. Dark, stormy grey eyes were placid, calmly looking at the younger male. 

"Daud." Corvo didn't fancy the man very much, he always spotted him doing something weird. Daud's actions always revolved around stealing whale bone, reading lore about the gods and the spirits, or whispering to odd shrines that smelled of death. 

"I suppose you've heard about the big events going on in the palaza." Daud stood from where he was sitting, setting an oddly shaped bone onto the crate nearest him. He looked down upon Corvo, a few inches taller than the Attano but nonetheless equally skilled. 

"Suppose I have." Corvo gave a weary nod and started to make his way down the road. 

From what Corvo heard, Daud was abducted as a child. Born in the isle of Serkonos but curelly put in this city that is said to be only a few towns away from where he last saw his mother. For years he's accompanied an actor that brings bags of coins after his shows, although no one really bothered a second look at Daud and his kidnapper. If the man could make a show worth their money, they didn't feel the need to bother the actor. 

"You best know that you will not find any thing of value there." Daud watched him as he moved, hands clasped behind his back. "Unless you want your head rolling off the block." 

"Faith has given me a path. I cannot ignore it as you cannot ignore your fasincation for whale bones." Corvo's voice contained only a small hint of sarcasm but just enough for Daud to catch it.

"Then I pray to the Outsider he will give you a good life after death." Daud said, picking up the whale bone from the wooden crate.

"The Outsider is a whale wallowing in the ocean," Corvo shook his head, "He's like to turn me into a jellyfish. I cannot believe a god that can bring me such a fate after death. You keep your wandering whale spirits to yourself now, Daud. I'll keep my spirits on stealing what I want."  

"He will find a way to break you away from your insolence." Daud shook his head and left the alley. "May the spirits guide your path, Corvo." 

"As with yours." Corvo nodded. 

Although the two were not the best of companions, they shared a common respect for the other. 

Corvo continued down the alleyway, passing the homeless, the drunk and the beggars. The buildings closed around him, walls dirty with grime and became worse as he slipped further into the maze of abandoned streets. He found an abandoned building that was mostly used for gangs and whores looking for quick payment. Corvo found a rusty fire escape and climbed, keeping light on his feet as the metal groaned. He snaked his body around a fallen part of a wall and climbed up the stones, leaping to pull himself up onto the remaning metal bars of the fire escape. The building was crooked, slowly falling into rubble and allowed Corvo to reach up a glass window and climb up the rest of the way. 

The roof was piled with junk, ranging from old furnitiure to trashed crates of various store vendors. To the left was another building that was once at the same height of the collasping building, insteaed it was a floor higher. Corvo didn't need to cover himself, considering all the windows were borded up in protection against any gang members who thought breaking into someone's house was a good idea. He reached for one wooden bar and hauled himself up to the curved, concrete edge. With a grunt he got up from where he was hanging and peered over the far edge. 

He could almost see the plaza. Banners colored the streets around the area, children danced and squealed with each other as they made their way with their parents to the event. He watched flower petals fly in celebration and hundreds of vendors had taken the oppurtunity to sell trinkets and wines and everything in between. He took a deep breath and tasted the smell of roasting meat. 

"A lovely facade we set up for the empress." Corvo said to himself and leaped off the building. He caught the a near by banner and swung, brandishing his blade to cut one end and bring him to a slow stop with his feet pressed against the corner of a brick building. Corvo craned his neck over the corner to see the celebration going on. 

 _Empress should be coming from over here._ Corvo peered down in the corner.  _Should I drop down here, I'll have the guards on me in seconds._

Corvo turned behind him and spotted the thick rope of a banner tied to the opposite building, there was a ledge that ran all the way down the block. 

 _She carries one of the most priceless gems across her neck._ He thought, digging fingernails into the brick wall. Slowly but surely he got his body across the curve of the building and set a foot down onto the thick rope of the banner.

 _No one will see me if I just catch her at the right angle._ Corvo knelt, balancing his weight on the rope and started down the length. Just barely rustling the flags as he raced down the rope. 

He let out a breath of relief as his feet touched the sandy edge and his nails dug back into hard brick. Shifting his gaze he looked down the street, noting the sound of electricty crackling down the steel twin lines that covered the main road of the town. 

_Move._

Corvo started for run, feet arching to match the small width of the ledge. He gave a  _huph_ of air and leapt, landing on the next ledge with ease. His hand softly gripped the edge before letting go, his balance restored and his adrenaline rushing in. His hand went to knick at the blade, anticipating it's use. The wind picked up, his mane of hair snapping back as he jumped again. 

HIs footsteps were quiet, a woman who was drying out her blanket by snapping it in the wind. She ducked back into her house, not noticing Corvo as he leapt above her blanket, leaving a trickle of dirt from his sandals. Corvo spotted the cart as it moved down the road. 

Corvo's heart matched his fast footsteps, thumping with every step he took. 

He sharply pushed all his weight to the side, leaping off the building with enough force to create a distance between him and building. 

The cart was coming. 

Corvo's shadow sailed right above cart. Corvo twisted, blade hooking into the metal with a short screech. Before the view of the cart reached any seeing eyes, Corvo moved his body to fit against the metal door of the cart. Hanging on by one hand he struck the blade into the key hold of the door and forced it open. Corvo slipped inside and slid the door shut. 

He took a deep breath, put his head against the comforting cushion of the seat. 

"By the Outsider that took a lot more effort than I realized." Corvo whispered to himself and opened his eyes. He looked to the side of him.

There he saw a most confounding image. 

There was Jessamine Kaldwin, older than him by a few years. Ink black hair was styled back into a respectable bun, dark blue eyes glowed with the effects of her make up. She was dressed in Dunwal attire, fancy colllar, tight black overcoat with a white long sleeved button up underneath, her black pants fitted around her legs and her pointed black leather shoes. She had the simliar stink of her father when he dressed to please the other rich folk. 

Although, next to her was a man clad in an assassin's attire. Beneath his black mask were two stone cold eyes that were confused at the sudden entrance of Corvo. 

"I don't suppose you came here for the necklace." Corvo said slowly. He spotted the blade next to the empress's throat and the gleam of the golden chain by the blade. "You came here for blood." 

Jessamine gave him a look, pleading for some type of rescue. 

Carefully, Corvo gripped the blade in his hand. The assassian didn't yet notice his weapon. 

 _One breath._ Corvo breathed slow through his nose and jerked forward, surprising the assassin as he snapped his blade straight into his chest. The assassian let out a yell, dropped the blade to clutch the one in his chest. Kicking the door open Corvo grabbed the man the shoulders and twisted him out of the cart. Shouts and shrieks were let out as the body rolled down, leaving a bloody trail behind him. 

The electricy stopped and the car slowed almost instantly. Jessamie slowed her breath and looked at Corvo with a wild gaze. She touched the necklace at her throat and held out her hand. 

"He was trying to kill me..." Jessamine said. "He said...for the Outsider...." 

 _Is this the god Daud follows?_ Corvo watched as she touched the bleeding kink at her neck. _A god that wills followers to_ _assassinate the Empress_? 

"Thank you..." Jessamine whispered but then shook her head. "Although for what reason you had to break into my cart, I cannot understand." 

"...Fate." Corvo finally said, watching a guard grab his arm and yank him out of the cart. 

At once he was set on his knees and greeted with a sword to his neck. Jessamine got out of the cart, shouting for the guard to stop. A crowd of people were already coming around to watch. 

" _Stop!_ " Jessamine shouted. 

"Empress he--" The guard struggled to fight against Jessamine. 

"He saved me, that's what he's done." Jessamine said loud, causing an uproar within the crowd. There was applause for the Empress and Corvo but dissaproved booing for the guard. 

The guard let go and backed from Corvo. Jessamine stood in front of Corvo, gesturing him to stand.

 _Is this the promised fate Daud has said?_ Corvo thought as Jessamine took his hand and brought it within hers, raising the both of theirs to the sky. 

" _This_ is what Serkonos is made from. The undying strength, will and faith is what makes you all the fericest people of all the isles," She thought up a speech just at the spur of the moment, amazing Corvo as she spoke so highly of the island she's been in for less than a week. "By the glory of this man, I salute  _all_ of you!" [  
](http://dishonored.wikia.com/wiki/Serkonos)

Cheers went wild and the body bleeding down a few feet from them was ignored from the scene. 

"Now, the man who forced his fate to save my own," Jessamine adressed Corvo, "Tell me your name." 

"Corvo Attano." He said after a long silence, wondering if his parents were there to see him in his glory. 

"Corvo Attano, I herby grant your family to dine the night with me. There will be gifts and the like for your vailliant behavior soon after," Cheers went all around, "I believe this has cause for an even greater celebration!" 

As the cheers drowned out nearly every possible sound, Jessamine leaned in close to Corvo. 

"I do not know what your original intentions where, Mr. Attano, but I believe they were just as bad as the man you killed," She whispered low, "I invite your family to my dinner and I hope you will take this as a kind gesture of friendship." 

"You thought I was going to kill you?" Corvo raised a brow. "No, your Grace, I came for something more of value." 

She watched as his gaze turned toward the golden chain around her neck, she grasped the gem at the middle and scowled. 

"Theiving hands are often cut from the body who believes it is rightous." Jessamine said low. 

Corvo shut his mouth as quickly as he could.  _This is the Empress, idiot._ He thought to himself. 

"You're an interesting sight, Corvo." Jessamine softened her voice at his silence, curious now. "I'd love to speak with you in private at a more opportune time." 

"What is it you wish to speak of, your Grace?" Corvo asked, not liking the way a small smile curled at her painted lips. 

"A proposition, Corvo. Your talent seems to be at a waste here in this city. What happens after you turn twenty and the family makes you create a name for yourself?" She nearly purred at the sight on his face. "You'll have to stop your acitivies or leave them permanetly, am I not correct?" 

Corvo studied her gaze. 

"Military academy, Corvo. Two years and you will work under me." She gave a brief discription of their oncoming talk. 

Corvo was taken back.  _Military academy?_

"We will discuss this at a better time, Corvo." Jessamine started to wave at the people. "Simply enjoy the fame while it lasts." 

Corvo gave a nod and looked up to the dark spot at the corner of his eye. He spotted a man, sitting at the edge of the rooftop watching with keen interest. This man's shape shimmered with black smoke and once he made eye contact and recieved a wave from the man, he vanished. 

"I believe my fate has begun." Corvo said to Jessamine.

"As has mine." She nodded. 

_Although I do believe this will be something of a speical case of fate._


End file.
